A Toad and His Clown
by iamhollywood
Summary: Todd Tolensky gets a date with a clown, but who is it beneath all the make-up?
1. Default Chapter

Toad and Clown story

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and yeah the title of the story isn't my best but I honestly couldn't think of one, sorry

This contains an unconventional pairing, not slash, just unconventional. the actual pairing won't be revealed to the end of the story. As always criticism is welcome.

Chapter 1

"Toad."

"The name's Todd yo," Todd said, picking himself up off the ground. He had just been hexed through a wall for the fourth time that week and, to be honest, with each wall he had gone through he found his affection for Wanda waning. He was beginning to understand that he and Wanda would never be. He admired her, respected her and even worshipped her to some extent, but therein lay the problem. To worship Wanda was like worshipping an idol. You could love the cold statue all you wanted, but you would receive no love in return, not even an acknowledgement, only a lifeless stare. Still what was he going to do?

Pietro rolled his eyes at Todd's remark. "Listen TOAD I've got a deal for you. One I think you'll benefit from."

Todd couldn't hide his interest, though he knew this was most likely a prank. The humiliated have an intuition for these kinds of things. "Yeah? What's that?"

"If you stay away from Wanda for the next three days I'll get you a date."

"Yeah, right" Todd said, "you gonna hook me up with the bearded lady maybe? Or how about Evan, that way you can embarass two people at the same time?"

"Todd, please. I'm gonna come right out and say it. You're an embarrassment to our house man. I mean Lance has Kitty. I've got more than half of Bayville's female population after me, even Freddy at least talks to women, but you... You're just nothin' man. I'm not tryin' to be a jerk to you, just trying to explain, alright. So if you want I will not only set you up on a date, but I will pay for the date, what happens after that is up to you."

"How do I know you're not settin' me up yo?"

"You don't. I can guarantee you three things about this date, though."

"What three things?"

"Your date will be female, she'll be fine, and she'll stay the entire date."

"I dunno Pietro"

"What's to think about Toad I'm giving you something you've never had in your life. A date with a hot chick who's guaranteed not to run out on you at first sight."

"I just always imagined my first date being with somebody who was hot and cared about me."

"So why're you going after to my sister," Pietro barely dodged the hex thrown at him.

"I'm gonna stop," Toad said.

"Finally," Wanda shouted.

"So what better way to quit Toad than to go on this date. I'm telling you man its a sure thing."

"Alright fine I'll go on the date."

"Good, its Saturday night, find something nice to wear," and with that Pietro left a confused Todd behind.

"Somethin' nice?"


	2. Ravage Ritual

Chapter 2 Ravage Ritual

I forgot to say in the first chapter that Todd and his "date" will both be 18. this will hopefully explain both characters' maturity

Disclaimer: don't own the characters and overly dramatic title is the title to a song by Zao

little miss tiny shoes: oh I couldn't tell you who it is just yet, but I appreciate you're reading it, and I hope the pairing is worth all the hype

ldypebsaby: Todd is going on a date with a clown, but not just any clown, its a special kind of clown

"Alright Toddles it is my duty to assist you in preparing for this date, is this understood?!"

Todd nodded at Tabitha, unsure exactly when he had been placed in this desk and why Tabitha was dressed in army fatigues and a helmet.

"Very good cadet! Now for our first exercise you will learn to walk straight, stand up Private Tolensky!"

Todd slowly stood up unsure of what was going to happen next. Tabitha goose stepped towards him. "You got no self-respect boy! No pride! You're goin' out with a beautiful lady and you ain't actin' like you deserve it boy! You might as well give up right now and stay home!"

"I deserve it," Todd mumbled.

"What was that?!!"

"I said I deserve it," Todd said a bit more loudly.

"I'm sorry boy, but what was that you just mumbled to yourself? You trying to prove somethin' to yourself, boy! What did you say boy?!"

"I said I deserve it!"

"Well act like it then! Stand up straight, get that hippy hair out of your eyes, and throw them shoulders back!"

Todd found herself responding to the order. He stood straight, well as straight as he was able. He cleared his hair from his eyes and even threw his shoulders back.

"Whoa Toddles you're a hottie! Now we gotta get you a haircut and some nice clothes."

Todd relaxed at the change back to Tabitha's normal tone.

"Boy did I say to relax! Did I say its happy fun time! Now give me twenty!"

Half an hour, twenty push-ups, three bottles of water, and two showers later

"Alright Todd we are now ready. Now remember: head up, back straight, and no hopping! You keep telling yourself that you deserve a hot date and eventually one is going to come along. OK now when we go to these places you are not allowed to talk to the barber or the sales person, just leave it to me."

"Whatever you say yo." To be honest Todd trusted Tabitha more than Pietro, and almost more than any other Brotherhood. She had never gone out of her way to make fun of Todd, it just wasn't her style. So whatever she did to him today he was sure would turn out for the best. As they walked into town he began to notice something. People didn't smirk or laugh at him unless they knew him. Before he had been a complete public outcast, now it seemed that his humiliation was reserved only for those who knew him.

"Feels nice doesn't it Toddles," Tabitha said after she noticed his look of awe.

"What?"

"Not being laughed at."

"Yeah. Its kinda weird ya know?"

"Think about it Todd. Usually when you walk into town you're hunched over and you never meet anybody's eyes. They think you're worthless because you look like it, but if you meet somebody's eyes with your own and shows them that you know you're on the same level as them and have just as much worth as they do. They're less likely to make fun of you that way. Don't get me wrong, people can still be mean. Hey, that's life, you realize you can't please everybody and that no matter what people can still be jerks and you'll be fine. Well, here's the barber shop." Todd walked in.

Todd walked out, his hair shorter than it had been before, but nothing special had been done, other than it being parted to the side. "Todd isn't this fun?! You're becoming a brand new you! I love this! Come on let's go clothes shopping!"

Two hours later.

"Todd come out the changing area where I can see you or I'm coming in there." Todd reluctantly opened the door and found to his dismay that Tabitha had found other girls to give their opinion on his shirt. "I think the shirt is a bit old fashioned," girl #1 said.

"True, but its still classy," Girl #2 said.

"I agree, but what kind of tie..." Tabitha finished as the girls conferred with one another.

"Women," muttered Todd as he walked back into the changing room. He had been trying on white collared shirts for the last hour, all of which had been nixed by Tabitha.

"Todd!"

"What?!"

"We've got your tie, get the shirt, pants, belt, jacket and shoes and we'll go."

"Finally!" Todd stomped out of the room with the clothes and stopped at the sight of the tie. It was a beautiful dark green silk tie.

"The three of us believe that the tie will help accentuate your eyes, which is by far your best asset," Tabitha said proudly.

"Your butt's pretty nice too," Girl #1 said.

"Definitely," Girl #2 said and then giggled.

Tabitha cleared her voice and looked at the two, "Ladies? I believe our need for you is over, now scoot!"


	3. Like A Perfect Gentleman

Chapter 3 "Like a Perfect Gentleman"

Disclaimer: still not mine

ldypebsaby: nope sorry can't tell yet it will most likely be in the next chapter, thanks for the review

Readerrr Grrrl: your wish is granted

heartsyhawk: soytenly

Zoken: yeah sorry about the ooc for Todd and Tabby, I was just kind of having fun with them, but after this chapter Tabby's out and Todd will hopefully return to normal albeit more mature form

"All my bubbles have been bursted"- Danielson Family

"We did it Toddles. We got you nice clothes and a haircut, now for the bad news," Tabitha said casually.

"Bad news? What do you mean yo?" Todd asked, already feeling the walls begin to close in on him.

"Oh well your date got switched from this coming Saturday night to tonight so we don't have time for more training."

"Tabwhat's the bad news?"

A small bomb going off in his shirt pocket was the only reply Todd got from Tabitha the entire way home.

Todd examined himself in the mirror and then looked back at the tub behind him. He slowly breathed in and then out, in and then out. He approached the shower hesitantly and then...got in it. He quickly, but thoroughly washed himself. 'Should be good enough for the rest of the month,' he thought as he began dressing himself. When he finished he gave himself another look in the mirror, seeing a well dressed guy being reflected back, and smiled. He quickly looked both ways and then... "Tolensky, Todd Tolensky. Shaken not stirred."

"Hey Toad let's get it moving," Pietro yelled impatiently.

"What's he doing Pietro," Tabby asked, already anxious to leave.

"He's upstairs doing James Bond impersonations. I wish he'd come on, she's probably already there." Todd winced when he heard what Pietro said and made his way downstairs.

"Actually I was just working on my um pronunciation yo. You know, How Now Brown Cow."

"Toad, shut up."

They arrived at the restaurant, Todd was surprised to see he actually met the restaurant's requirements, something that didn't happen to him very often. He stepped out of Lance's jeep and looked back at Lance and Pietro. They just smiled back at him, well Pietro smirked, and waved him on. "Have a good time man, call us when you need a ride back, oh and give her this flower," Lance said as he handed a peach colored rose to Todd and then drove away.

Todd could feel it building inside of him. Fear, it felt like he would soon be sweating it through every one of his pores. His mouth dryed at the sight of the door and what might possibly lay inside for him. He caught his reflection in a passing in a car and remembered who he was, not Toad, but Todd.

He smiled and walked inside the restaurant. The maitre'd asked him for his name, which he proudly gave.

"Ah yes, Pierce!" A waiter appeared at the maitre'd 's call. "Take Mr. Tolensky to his table." The waiter gave a short bow and motioned that Todd follow him. On the way to his table Todd caught a few looks from some of the other guests at the restaurant, but took no offense, he was used to it. "So my date's not here yet," Todd asked the waiter when he was seated at a table near the back of the restaurant.

"No sir, I will check with the maitre' d to see if a message was sent," the waiter said.

"Uh sure, thanks yo."

Todd sat and placed the rose in front of him. What would she be like? Would she think he was weird? Cool? Refreshing? Would she know he was her soulmate at first sight or would it take some time in their relationship? Would their children be boys or girls? He began to think about how thankful he was for his friends. His friends, his wonderful friends, they were the ones that were responsible for this happening. They were responsible for the new Todd Tolensky. They were responsible for his new found confidence. They were responsible for his date. He should do something for them, but what? That question was answered five minutes later when he saw his date. She wore a blue dress with white polka dots, a pair of stockings with red and white stripes, her brown hair was done up in a bun, wore powder white make-up on her face, chocolate brown eyes and had a red rubber nose. He quickly came to the conclusion that it might be best if each of his wonderful friends was slowly, painfully crucified.


	4. Its a Surprise

Chapter 4: Its a Surprise

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, sorry.

Readerrr Girrrl: Hey man sorry for posting before you beta'd, but I really wanted to get this up. I checked it a few times and didn't really see any huge errors. Thanks for your help and your review :)

ldypebsaby: all will be revealed in this chapter, hope its worth it :)

heartsyhawk: well now you know, was it worth the wait?

thanks to everyone whose read or reviewed this story, you guys rock!

"I-I know what this looks like and I apologize. But please do not leave. I have had the worst day ever and if you leave, then that's just going to be it for me. So please just stay, please, ok? I can't have my entire day be this horrible, just stay, ok?"

Todd was experiencing a few things he had never known were possible. For one, he was watching a "happy" clown bravely keeping tears from falling down her face. For another this same clown was begging him to stay. "I," he knew he would regret it the moment he said it, but still, "alright yo just sit down, ok? Here," he said as walked over to her and actually pulled her chair out. She sat in silence as he wiped a few of the tears from her eyes. "So what's up with the clown suit yo," he softly asked, ignoring the stares he was getting from the other people in the restaurant.

"I work in a hospital," she said, slowly regaining control of herself.

"You work in a hospital and they let you dress like that?"

"I help to cheer up the kids, the clown costume and make-upis part of my job. Again I'm really sorry I was late. One of the boys started to have a seizure during my act and I couldn't find a nurse anywhere. I put a tongue depressor in his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue and ran to the nurse' station. The nursesfinally came and sedated him and then I had to go reassure the kids that he was ok. It just...my day was rather hectic and again I apologize for the make-up. I kept thinking you wouldn't be here so I just left the hospital and came over here as soon as I could."

"Whoa that's pretty crazy, but you don't need to apologize. I would have wanted you take care of the kid ya know? He's gonna be alright though, right?"

She smiled, "Yeah, he just needed some medicine and he'll back in there in no time. Its nice of you to care.

Todd blushed at the compliment and then remembered he didn't know her name. "So uh my name's Todd Tolensky," he said offering her his hand as he sat back in his chair. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a blush on her pasty white face as well.

"..." she mumbled and shook his hand, before looking at the ground.

"What was that," he asked playfully, enjoying this date now, evenif it was with a clown.

She looked back at him and smiled nervously, "My name's Amara Aquilla."

When Todd had been small he had often watched cartoon characters drop their jaws and let their tongues roll out for miles, as their eyes bugged out at the sight of a beautiful woman. He was pretty sure he could have beaten them all when he heard the girl's name.

"Whoa... Whoa, wait a sec... Like Amara, Tabby's old roommate when she was with the X-G..the X-men?"

She bit her lip and nodded, waiting for him to attack her or to leave.

"Amara 'I can set myself on fire' Aquilla? Amara 'princess' Aquilla?"

"Yes."

Todd blinked and then looked around the restaurant and then back at her. He started to open his mouth and then closed it. Finally he said, "Wow."

'This might work,' she thought to herself with a smile. "Um Todd? The waiter is waiting on your order."

Todd glanced to his left and saw that the waiter was standing there patiently. "Um I'll get a steak, well done, with fries and a coke." The waiter rolled his eyes, but took the order none the less.

"And for you ma'am."

"I'll have the same please, but can I get mine without the rolling of the eyes?"

The waiter stiffened at her comment, but just said, "Very well," before leaving.

Amara watched the waiter leave and then looked back at Todd.

"So Amara, I gotta ask yo, why me?"

"Well Todd, I have to ask why not you?"

"Well, I mean, its not like I'm a prize catch or nuthin'. I eat flies, pick people's pockets, and I'm kinda weak."

"Eating flies isn't that big of a deal. In my country we eat snakes and certain types of grasshopper. It all depends on the culture Todd. As for your picking pockets, I won't deny that I find that unattractive. However, what I do find attractive are the cats you rescue from trees and the children whom you play with when you think no one is looking."

"Well I mean I don't really know you and you don't really know me."

"That's what this date is for, isn't it Todd?" He nodded, feeling slightly more confident than he had. "Good, then lets start getting to know one another. Ask me a question," she said with a smile, excited at the possibilities that the evening would bring.


	5. Ever the Gentleman

Chapter 5 Ever the Gentleman

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters

heartsyhawk: well if you liked that then you might like this

ldypebsaby: the date is on!

Beany: well this is what is happening, hope its enjoyable

Lin Waddell: Here it be

Thank you all for your reviews and encouragement, I sincerely hope this chapter is worth it.

If Todd were ever asked what he would not want to know about a date he would never have been able to answer. A girl willing to date him would seem to him a realm of infinite secrets. So what would be his first question to this vision in pancake make-up in front of him? He pondered, he agonized, and finally he came up with"So what made you want to be a clown" After the words had left his mouth he immediately tried to recall them, but unfortunately they had already found their way to her.

To Amara's credit she chuckled kindly at his embarrassment. "Well, how much do you know about Nova Roma"

He thought about it for several seconds before shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, that's a common answer. It is a very small country, often overlooked by most people. We are poor and most of its people are uneducated. My father was sent to this country by his father to be educated in western ways. He then came back to Nova Roma as a doctor, the only one in the country. As he was the then king's son he assumed the throne upon his father's death. Most days my father worked very hard to train his people to take care of themselves and help others to heal, while at the same time taking care of political business. At the end of these days there was nothing he liked better than to simply forget what tragedy he had seen that day. He would often have a person tell him jokes to make him happy. I did not see him much during these times so I decided as a child that I would make him laugh as much as possible. I learned from some of his court jesters how to be funny and I would practice making jokes around recovering patients to take their minds off of things."

"So did it work? I mean did you get to see your dad more"

She smiled sadly"Yes, but by then he was ready to send me here to be educated as well. I have not seem him in two years, though we continue to write. So now it is my turn."

"Your turn"

"To ask a question of course. You did not think you would be the only one asking did you"

"Oh, nah. Go ahead. I'm ready for anything you got"

"Very well... Oh, our food is here." The waiter quickly set the food down and walked away without wishing them a good meal. Todd saw a ball of flame grow in Amara's left hand before dying and then growing again. He really didn't want to end this date so soon, so he quickly interjected.

"Uh, so, you got a question for me or did I stump you"

"Hmm, oh yes, forgive me Todd" she said as the she let the ball die for good. "No, you didn't stump me. My question is who are you"

Todd dropped the fork that had been nearing his mouth with a delicious morsel of steak. "Um, sorry didn't catch that, mind sayin' it again yo"

"Oh, its alright. Who are you? I'm interested in knowing how you see yourself."

"I guess I never thought about it, ya know? I mean I'll be honest with you because you were honest with me about the clown thing. I mean I'm small, scrawny. I'm not stupid, but I don't always get things the way other people do ya know? I think that I'm cool, like I could be worth getting to know. I kinda goof things up sometimes, not on purpose, but it just happens when everybody's watching me. That's me I guess" he said quietly, sure that she would leave the table at any moment. To his relief she smiled at him.

"I can relate."

"What're you talking about Amara? I mean you're like perfect. I've never seen you trip or mess up anything. Its like you just float around in this different world where nothing else bothers you or somethin'."

"It is all in one's perception Todd. You only see me at high school. You've never seen me when I'm studying five hours straight for a five question quiz and, thankfully, you've never seen me struggle with my foe, the VCR."

Todd cracked up at her comment about the VCR, which made her laugh as well. "Are you serious"

"Yes, I always mean to record American Idol, but always get Law and Order SVU re-runs."

"Whoa, well if you want I could come over sometime and help you with programming it."

She shyly smiled"Thank you, that would be nice." He blushed upon realizing the possibility of seeing her again. They enjoyed the rest of their dinner, asking occasional questions, none as deep as the first two had been, but just as important. When they had both finished and the waiter had taken their bill Todd stood up and helped her out of her chair. That's when he felt it, just a sense of shame and embarassment. He turned and saw something flying in the air towards him. His body was already reacting to it, his tongue lashing out at the offending item, a breadstick by the taste of it, and then he leapt through the air. He could always tell who was out to humiliate him because they were always the ones most surprised when he fought back. He landed on the table and grabbed ahold of a shirt, looking a 16 year old boy in the eyes. "Who do you think you are yo! Huh! You can't just be throwin' food at people in a restaurant" he said while viciously shaking the boy to punctuate each word"Do you even know me? Do you know her! You do not throw food at my da"

"Todd"

He turned to see who had called his name and saw Amara, simply standing there, the very picture of patience.

"Walk me home" Those three simple words, he wanted to resist the power they had over him. He wanted so desperately to tap back into that primal rage he had experienced only seconds before, but those words... They had taken it from him, deflated him, shamed him. He saw in those words that she expected more of him than this outburst and he knew in the end that he would do his best to live up to those expectations. He let go of the boy's shirt and hopped off the table before standing straight.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Then he hesitantly addressed the people staring at him"I'm sorry about that." He saw the boy starting to openly cry in front of his date. "Sorry man" Todd said. They left without anyone saying anything, except an older man who had said"Don't worry son, he had it coming." Todd didn't answer, unsure of how he felt about the entire situation now. He took Amara's hand and they left the restaurant together and that was what was important to Todd at the moment.


	6. Can't Stop Now

Chapter 6 Can't Stop Now

Disclaimer: Don't own the X-men Evolution crew and the title belongs to Keane

Lin Waddell: well this chapter deals with after the date, next up confrontation...of sorts

Beany: here you go!

ldypebsaby: Todd will do battle with the VCR...just not this chapter :)

Readerr Girrrl: thanks so much for all your reviews

howlerdrode: here's your update

Thank you all for your reviews and for everyone who read it, though they didn't review it, its all good. Hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Todd was experiencing something new to him, which didn't happen too often. A new experience was something that became harder and harder to have with every year he spent as a mutant. He had seen it all, alien attacks, mutants with every power under the sun, and even heart burn on occassion. The current experience he was having wasn't one he could easily explain, but he would try. "Its kinda like I couldn't hear nothin' except her voice." The whole walk to the mansion had been like that. They had talked briefly about school and other meaningless subjects until they reached the gates of the mansion, but he never heard another sound except for her voice.

"Maybe you're goin' deaf Todd," Freddy said as he bit down on a sandwhich that could have doubled as a weapon in the average person's hands.

"Nah its not like that Freddy. I could hear the other things, but they were like turned down or somethin'. I knew things around me were makin' sound, but it didn't matter because all I wanted to hear was her voice."

"Ah isn't that sweet. Toad got to walk a girl home," Pietro said, his arrogant smile plastered across his face. "And to think you never would have had this experience if it weren't for me. You know you owe me right? I mean do you really think you could have gotten a date with Amara if it hadn't been for me? Please, it was all me!"

"Shut up Pietro! Amara has liked Toddles for the last couple of months, all you did was give them the money for the date, and the money came from your dad," Tabitha said from the staircase as she descended.

Pietro opened his mouth to retort, but then thought better of it and simply let it go. Todd meanwhile had left the room, after all, he did have a lot of thinking to do and couldn't be bothered with who owed what or did what. He and Amara were...together? Friends? A possibility? It wasn't as if the Brotherhood and the X-men were still fighting, though at times members of both groups acted like it. Still, he wasn't sure if he would be welcomed with open arms by the members of the X-men. What about Amara being welcomed here? Freddy, Lance, and Tabitha wouldn't mind. Wanda probably wouldn't like it too much, but then she never really seemed to like anybody, except for maybe that Pyro guy. Pietro would probably act like a jerk towards her and maybe even flirt with her, but Todd was somewhat sure that Amara would be above that... She was incredibly attractive, smart, and seemed to be a pretty cool person to hang out with, but he didn't think she'd just... Best not to think about it. What X-men should he worry about? Scott would probably be the worst. That Logan dude was pretty scary. Lance told him one time that when he first started dating Kitty, Logan had given him a speech. The speech had been so bad Lance had to come back here to change pants before his date with Kitty. Anybody that could throw that bad of a scare into Lance would probably terrify him. Still he had to take the chance...didn't he?

"So Amara where have you, like, been?"

Amara froze in midstep and turned to see Kittie walking through a nearby wall. "Kittie, how often have I told you not to do that to me?"

"Like fifty times or something. So where have you been at? You should have been back an hour ago. Doesn't work, like, end at 5:00?"

"I was on a date," she mumbled.

"Oh my gosh, you're coming with me!" Before Amara could react she was being dragged through walls, floors and ceilings as Kittie let it be known to all in the mansion that Amara had just gotten back from a date. Some congratulated, some were shocked that there would be someone whom Amara felt was worthy to date her, and a few of the males at the school cursed the person lucky enough to go on a date with her. One thing they all had in common was that they wondered exactly who she had been on the date with. Jubilee and Rahne were the first to ask Amara, Jean and Rogue were second, only Kittie had somehow forgotten to ask in all the excitement and as a result left for her own room. The responses were all the same in that department though. "What? Is that a joke? I mean, come on, you could do so much better than him," Jubilee stated, voicing many of the other girls' opinions. Amara could see it in the other girls' eyes. They were disgusted by him and this angered her. She told them to leave and curled up on her bed, watching the sun go down outside her window, not sure how to feel. A soft knock at her door five minutes later alerted her to Kittie's presence, the only one who hadn't been there when Jubilee had ridiculed Todd. "Come in," she said.

"Hey Amara, I forgot to like, ask you who your date was. So um who was it?"

"Todd Tolensky," she said into her pillow.

"Really? That's awesome!"

Amara's raised her head at her friend's enthusiasm. "What," she asked, shocked at her friend's reaction.

"Yeah, Todd's a sweetheart."

"What do you mean," Amara asked, curious as to Kittie's connection with Todd.

"Well like, he's Lance's roommate and one time he made dinner for us and got everybody else out of the house so we could enjoy the dinner alone. The dinner wasn't that great, but he, like, tried, at least. So I'm really happy for you. When's he coming over?"

"I don't know," Amara said, feeling better and better by the minute. She and Todd hadn't really set a time or even talked about it had they? He had hugged her goodbye and even gave her a kiss on her powdered cheek. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Cool, well, like, I'll spread the word so everybody knows he's coming. Oh, and, like, you might want to tell him to bring an extra pair of pants. Logan gets kinda scary when he meets boyfriends for the first time."


	7. Todd is a Manly Man

"Todd is a Manly Man"

"I am a manly man. Beneath this sissy frame and obviously rib-laden chest lies a heart that beats to the drum of a native-american ritual dancing wildness. It pumps an ever cascading supply of untamedness that a herd of wild mustangs have yet to grasp." Bradley Hathaway.

Disclaimer I don't own the x-men. There is no Amara in this chapter, though her name is mentioned a few times. Basically this chapter is here because its necessary for the story, though its not the most interesting chapter in the story. Sorry about that, I am hoping to update next week, but I can't make any promises because life has become very busy as of late. Still there will be another chapter sooner or later. Thank you all for your reviews and you people who are reading it, its appreciated very much.

heartsyhawk: sorry I didn't update wayyy soonish, but um here the new chapter be's

Beany: here you go mans, another chapter. I promise I will have a new chapter for I Have No Lover next week at the latest, glad to see you're writing again

Readerrr Grrrl: thanks for the compliment. I think I screwed up Scott's personality in this chapter, but I didn't really want him to mad, there's a rational side to him too...Oh well I hope you enjoy this chapter and again thanks so much for your encouragement and reviews

ldypebsbaby: yes, belittling is wrong. see, people, even good people sometimes play by a double standard, it sucks, but its true. I hope this chapter is alright and soon those who belittled Todd will have revenge taken on them, in one form or another.

Todd walked down the street from the Brotherhood house. As he walked down it he saw the houses were less shoddy, the lawns better kept than in his part of the neighborhood. In a way it was almost depressing. When he left the Institute he would have watch the houses slowly deteriorate as he walked home until he would be at his house... a falling down wreck. He couldn't think about that now, though.

What was he going to say to Amara? He stopped short. Why was he even going to the institute? He looked back at his house and decided he might as well continue his walk to the institute. Going back to his house now would make him feel like he'd chickened out. He needed to speak to Amara for... for what? Clarity's sake? He needed to let everybody at the Institute know that he was...dating Amara? This wasn't an easy conversation to have, especially not with people who didn't like him in the first place.

He arrived at the Institute quicker than he wanted. There was a part of him that realized change would be necessary if he were to walk through those doors, and not just change in him, but in the entire world around him. He could feel his lungs trying to tighten at the thought. What was so great about his current life that he didn't want to change it? Comfort? He couldn't stay where he was at because it was comfortable. Comfort alone wasn't worth it. He steeled his nerves and rang the buzzer at the gates.

Logan picked up a smell. "At least the kid bathed," he growled out as he got up from his chair in the living room and began to make his way to the front gate. "What do you want," he asked. The only time guys seemed to visit here was to see the girls in the institute, a fact that never sat well with Logan.

Todd felt all of his earlier courage diminish almost to the point of non-existence, but a fear of not answering the man kept him alive. "Um I just wanted to see you guys and say something."

"So talk," Logan said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, uh, y- Wolverine its just dat I like Amara and she seems to like me-"

"Nope," and with that Logan began making his way back inside.

'Nope? No? No what?' His shoulders sagged for a moment, but then- He landed on the other side of the gate and ran to catch Logan before he got inside. The man turned him, claws beared. "You got somethin' to say bub," Logan growled out.

"Yeah I got somethin' to say, yo. Why're you treatin' me like this? I came here to make peace with you guys."

"Its already been done kid. We haven't fought in a year now. I said nope cuz I can already see where you're headed with this. It was the same with Lance when he came up here to make peace with us."

"So? Its not like Lance hurt Kitty, yo. She's still here ain't she? She might've been late for her curfew once or twice, but-"

"Alright kid you said your piece, now let me say mine," Logan said as he sheathed his claws and walked until he was towering over Todd. He placed his finger into the boy's chest and then began to speak again. "You hurt her in any way, you're dead," he whispered.

"I won't I'd never-"

"Save your breath kid. We got our understanding. You got fifteen other people to make your peace with, so get to it." Logan went back inside, still unsure if he had made the right decision.

Todd waited a few moments. He didn't want to talk to Scott because he suspected it wouldn't be much better than his previous talk. Most of the girls here despised him, except for Kitty and Amara. Come to think of it he didn't really want to talk to anyone here except for Amara, but he knew that this had to be done. He took a deep breath and tried to smile, but figured it wasn't really worth it. He opened the door and began to make his way down the hall and tell each person he saw that he and Amara had something going on. Some laughed, the younger ones simply shrugged their shoulders as they had never been involved in the battles between the X-men and the Brotherhood and as a result had no idea who he was. A few of the X-men made a disgusted face, but he suspected Scott would be the worst of the students to deal with.

He knew that Scott wasn't a bad person per say. He knew the guy would lay his life down for his teammates and Todd respected that. Scott had even rescued him from Duncan one time. Still, that didn't mean he liked Scott. The guy was known for looking at everything in black and white and his protective streak seemed to get him in more trouble than anything else. Todd knew that he couldn't just ignore Scott though, of all the people Todd had spoken to earlier in the day, Scott was one of the more important people. He had asked several of the younger X-men where he might find Scott and they gave him directions to Scott's room.

He knocked, heard a chair moving and was then greeted by Scott. "What do you want Tolensky?" He wasn't nice about it.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm thinking about asking Amara out and if she says yes I don't want there to be any bad blood between us."

"You're going to ask Amara out?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to-"

"I'm sorry Todd I'm having a hard time with this. First off you're here and you haven't been here in a year. Second, you're telling me that you're about to ask out one of my teammates."

"Yeah..." Todd was at a loss for words. He had expected shock, anger and a few demeaning words, but not confusion and...whatever this was.

Scott sighed. He had been through this with Alvers and knew it was only a matter of time before some other kid from the Brotherhood wanted to date an X-man. There was a part of him that wanted to say, "No," and then blast the kid out of the house, but he couldn't. "Listen to me Todd. I don't like this, but I am willing to give you a chance. You screw it up and you're mine," he said and then caused his to light up for just a moment, adding weight to his words.

"Um, ok, yo," Todd said as he began to wander off. There had been no fight, no argument. A threat was made, but all in all it hadn't been as bad as he'd hoped. Todd stopped upon realizing there was someone he still hadn't talked to. Amara.


	8. Chapter 8

Where Boys Fear to Tread

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. The title belongs to a Smashing Pumpkins song.

Lin Waddell: Thank you so much for pushing me to get this chapter out, thanks for editing the early chapter I sent out, though as you can see its changed a little. Still thanks!

Beany: thanks for the review and I hope you're still writing, though I haven't seen anything of yours in a while

Ldypebsbaby: here's the new chapter with Amara no less

Reading Girl: another chapter and thanks for the review

Amara was someone whom one should kneel before, head bowed before her, offering their necks to her, or at least he was pretty sure that's how it should be anyways. There she was, sitting quietly, doing her homework. Todd briefly wondered if that's what he looked like doing his homework, but then remembered he refused to do homework. She wore glasses, he had never known that about her, but then he'd never known her before.

Usually he would hop or try to do something to get the girl's attention, but he didn't feel that he had to with her. She had given him her attention so easily the last time they'd met that there was no reason to resort to gimmick or some goofy display of powers. He'd just walk up to her and say her name. He'd step with his right and then his left, then right again, followed by another left, and then…he'd say "Amara."

But what if… What if she was busy and couldn't be bothered? He'd seen Wanda bothered on several occasions; in fact most times he was the catalyst for her bad mood. How many times had been hexed into a wall or out of a window? Amara burned things; the scars would be more permanent. Could he risk that?

Still, she wasn't Wanda. Amara was cool she wouldn't just blast somebody because she didn't feel like giving them the time of day. Stick her nose up at them…enough with the thinking! He just needed to do this. Walk up to her, walk up to her, walk up to… "Todd what're you doing-" Todd was so shocked by the voice he fell from his perch on the ceiling, turning just in time to land on his feet. Leave it to Kitty to call him out like that.

"Uh hey," he said meekly, embarrassed at having been caught.

"Hey Todd," Amara said with a slight blush, but her smile was still there. He smiled back, forgetting Kitty was even in the same room.

"So uh what you workin' on," he said, trying to make conversation.

"Just some math homework for Mrs. Ketchner's class."

"Oh, you got her too? Did you need any help," he didn't know where that last request had come from, but he wished he'd never said it. He was horrible in math, could never get the decimals and percentages right. 'Please God, don't let her say yes, please, please,' he briefly thought.

"Actually I'm just about done, so did you want to do something?"

Todd looked to his left and saw Kittie still standing there, but decided now was as good a time as any. "Um well actually I was wondering if you wanted to go out um together, official and uh yeah…" he finished lamely.

Amara smiled brightly, briefly losing control of her powers and setting her chair on fire. "Oh no," she shouted and then tried blowing it out, but remembered her powers and just took the fire out mentally. "Sorry," she said with a blush.

"That was so cute," Kittie said, smiling, but then stopped after she saw the looks she was getting from Todd and Amara. She quickly took the hint and left the room, but not without leaving the door to the TV room slightly open so she could still hear what was going on.

"You want to go out with me," she asked.

"Uh yeah, well I mean… I like you and we went on that date and I had a good time and I thought maybe you did too and… So do you?" The anticipation was killing him, he needed an answer. He needed to know if this had all been a joke or she was actually interested in him. He knew only one thing for certain and that was no matter what her answer was he could never look at her the way he'd used to her. He'd never overlook her again, she'd never be just a face in the crowd to him. He once was blind, but now, well, now he saw her in all of her clumsy, imperfect radiance.

"Yes of course, I mean," she briefly burst into flames, but quickly controlled it and blushed a little bit. "I would like that very much Todd," she said smiling.

"Yes," Kittie shouted from outside the room and then rushed around the mansion with the latest gossip. Todd and Amara didn't mind, after all a wish of theirs' had come true.


	9. Back to the Old Home

Disclaimer: I still don't own the X-men, go figure. I also don't own the title of this chapter, it's the title of a Smith's song called "Going Back to the Old Home"

Reading Girl: Thanks so much, why haven't you updated Songs of Power lately though?

Pyro Lady: thanks for the review, yeah I've never seen as Scott as this really bad person, he's just a little more rules oriented then most and it can rub some people the wrong way.

Beany: here's the newest update, thanks for your reviewing. By the way she's got a New Recruits website for those of you interested

Lin: Dude where are you at? I was getting used to the weekly updates and now here I am waiting for the next and best in Secrets I Keep From You, its been almost a month, don't be me! Nah its all good, thanks for the review man.

He and Amara's time had been nice after the initial embarrassment and awkwardness of their new relationship. They'd talked, nothing special, but he missed her already. The closer he came to his house though, the more he began to think about the last few days. Tabby had helped him with a makeover, a change in his appearance. Maybe it hadn't just been a change in his appearance. He had begun to feel differently about himself. He wanted to be something, somebody worth Amara's time. He looked at the Brotherhood house and saw that the change he wanted so badly was going to start with his house.

He walked inside, trying to avoid as many people as possible. Wanda barely glanced at him as he entered, but he never noticed as he trudged up the stairs, went to his room, and closed the door. He surveyed the mess of a room that lay before him. Most of it he was sure could be thrown away. He didn't have a lot of money so he couldn't buy much; therefore the bulk of his room was most likely junk that served no real purpose. This place would be his starting point tomorrow. He wiped some clothing off of his bed and went to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The sun pried his eyes open the next morning. He eased up and looked around, trying to blink the bleariness out of his eyes. Wordlessly he got up, ignoring the grumbling of his stomach, and began to pick bits of trash off of his floor. An hour later he had cleared enough space for him to stand in and still see the carpet. It was an ugly, moldy, frayed green underneath it all and it made him wonder why he'd want to see it anyways. He continued to work on though, piling up trash bag after trash bag near the door. When he was done he had fifteen trash bags bursting at the seams, a bed, a dresser that was missing two drawers, a broken TV, and his clothes. He still had yet to go to the closet. He didn't really need to though as his closet was one of the few places he had actually kept clean.

Walking into it one would only see three items, two empty hangers and a large toolbox. The hangers had been left behind by the house's previous owners. The toolbox and its contents had been given to Todd by his father, a carpenter, shortly before his father had died and Todd had been left by his mother. He had Freddy bring the toolbox to the house because he could just barely lift it, let alone carry it. The toolbox was a thing of beauty to Todd though, gun metal gray, a bit chipped around the edges, his name engraved on the lid of the box, it was one of the few things that reminded him of his life before the Brotherhood.

He quickly walked over to it and opened the drawers and after finding what he needed, closed the drawers and left just as quickly. No one, but he and Freddy knew about the toolbox and he preferred to keep it that way. He loved his friends, but at the same time he knew one of them might get desperate and try to sell it for cash, and that was something he refused to allow.

His plan as of right now was to fix the little things in his room that he could fix without having to buy more materials than what he had. Would Amara appreciate this dump? Probably not, but once he was done with it…it would at least be something worth walking into, maybe even giving a glance. He just started in silence the way he had when he worked with his dad renovating old houses. He focused on the work at hand, just let his body take over like his dad had taught him.

Two hours later he looked up to see what he had done and was pleasantly surprised to see that his door knob was now tightened, his bed didn't tilt anymore, and he had plastered a hole with some plaster the house's former owners had also left behind. He was sure the noise would have woken up his roommates or at least made them curious at some point, but nobody seemed to care. 'Just like always,' he thought. A knock at his door told him otherwise.

"Yeah," he said, not quite sure how he was going to get fifteen bags of trash away from his door without ripping them.

"Hey Todd there's some girl on the phone for ya," Freddie answered.

"Are you sure it's for Todd and not me," Todd heard Pietro asking.

"Uh hold on a sec Freddy," he said. He could still hear Pietro trying to get the phone from Freddy, which made him move all the faster as he began to move the trash bags away from his door, pushing them rather than pulling so as not to tear the bags.

"Freddy let me see the phone," Pietro said, obviously getting more and more hyper with each minute. Todd could hear Freddy denying Pietro's request and laughing about it each time he said 'Nuh uh.' When Todd got the last bag moved he heard something totally different from outside his door.

"Blob did you just break the phone?"

"Sshhh I don't think Todd can hear us."

"You did! You broke the phone moron!"

"Hey don't call me a m- don't call me that idiot!"

"Well I wouldn't if you weren't such a moron!"

Todd could tell a fight was about to break out between the two of them, plus the phone was crushed so he couldn't call…probably Amara, which just made him all the more pissed about the situation. He slammed the door open, furiously looking at the two boys before him. "What're you guys doin? Yo that call was for me Pietro why you messin' with Freddy," Todd asked as he started to stare Pietro down.

This didn't faze Pietro though. "Oh come on Todd. Who would call for you when I'm here to talk to?" Todd was about to answer him when he heard Lance coming up the stairs.

"What are you guys doing? Who broke the phone?"

"Freddy," Pietro answered.

"You made me," Freddy hollered angrily at the boy. Todd wanted to leave, but knew he should back his best friend up to. "Yo Pietro kept grabbin' for the phone when it was for me and Freddy was just tryin' to keep it away from him. He forgets his own strength ya know?"

Lance just stood there for a minute and then spoke again. "Are you guys idiots? Seriously, grow up Pietro. Freddy be more careful. You guys need to go buy a new phone," he finished with a light trembling in the ground. Todd knew that Lance just wanted a phone so he could talk to Kitty, but he wasn't gonna say anything and thankfully neither were the other boys.

So now he had a decision to make. He could just walk over to the X-mansion or whatever it was they called it or he could just… There wasn't really another option now that he thought about it. He had done what he set out to do, clean his room. Now it was time to enjoy himself. He'd go and see Amara, but first he might need to shower. He found that soap still didn't feel great on his skin, but rinsing off never hurt, right?

He made his way downstairs fifteen minutes later, wondering exactly when showering had become important to him. He saw Lance sitting on the couch watching TV, Pietro and Freddy were nowhere in sight, probably trying to stay away from Lance. Wanda was sitting nearby. She looked up at him briefly. "Don't even think about it," she mumbled.

Todd just shrugged it off. Right now he didn't really care what was going through Wanda's head or what she said to him. "Yo Lance I'm goin' over to the x-geeks," he said as he made his way to the door.

"Hey give me a few minutes, Kitty invited me too," Lance said as he stood up to stretch.

"What?"

"She invited me to lunch too."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah lunch; you know eating with the rest of the X-geeks. Amara was supposed to… oh that's right the phone's broke. Anyways I gotta change for Pretty Kitty so just wait a few minutes."

"Alright," Todd said as he sat down on the couch, noticing a small cloud of dust coming up from the couch. Dinner with the x-geeks didn't sound like the greatest time in the world. They'd all be staring at him and Amara, mostly him though. What if he screwed up? She'd definitely dump him on the spot. Still, she'd stuck with him this long and a day was very long to Todd. He simply rested his head on the couch and watched TV, unconsciously ignoring Wanda's presence, a fact that didn't sit well with the girl at all, though she wasn't sure why. It didn't really matter anyways, Todd was content and she supposed that was what mattered most.

"Hey Todd," Scott shouted from across the room with the biggest smile on his face.

"What up Scott," Todd said as he entered the mansion, waving at the older boy.

"Todd's here everyone," Jean said as ran to the door to give the boy a hug. As soon as she said it the other X-men all came running out, each of them offering him a hug or a handshake, all of them glad that Todd was here. They all hushed quickly though, as if on cue, and looked to the staircase. Todd followed their line of sight and saw Amara in a floor length red dress, slowly making her way down the stairs, eyes on his. He gulped at the sight, sure that he could die happily now.

She made her way to him and slowly Todd saw the world around them fade away to the most beautiful meadow he'd ever been in. She ran her hand along the side of his face and smiled up at him, not an easy task considering she was taller than him. Her eyes met his and she slowly leaned in to- "Todd." "Toddles, Loverboy, wake up!" Todd's eyes opened to see Tabitha looking down at him and Wanda smirking at the other end of the couch. He grumpily sat up, wishing Tabitha dead.

"Lance is waiting for you outside."

Todd nodded his head, still sleepy and unable to process what Tabitha had just said. Unfortunately for him Tabitha dropped a bomb near him, one that only had a one second delay before blasting him off of the couch and towards the front door.

"Get a move on Todd, 'Mara's waiting on ya," Tabitha said as she ran up the stairs to avoid any retaliation from Todd. Todd for his part simply remembered why he had been nervous to begin with, but still made his way to Lance's jeep. 'Let the laughter begin,' he briefly thought to himself as the jeep pulled out of the driveway and made its way to the mansion.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note

I've had a really hard time writing this next chapter in the style I've been writing it and in the time that it's been set, so I've decided to do something different. The next chapters are going to skip ahead a few years and there will most likely be five or more chapters left in the story. I've got a couple ideas running around my head for the next chapter, but I want to wait till I can make sure I have it plotted out before I start writing it. However, I have written a brief one-shot with the pair of them and I have decided to make it separate from this fic because…well to be honest the rating on this one-shot will probably be M because of the fact that it's basically a conversation between the two of them about sex. Just about sex in general and what it is from the male point of view, also there's no description of the actual act of sex/making love, but you can tell from the way the character's are talking etc. and I just didn't want to risk putting it here. So its entitled How to Pet a Toad's Ego or A Not so Casual Conversation about Sex and should be up by today or tomorrow for those of you who are interested. It's kind of one dimensional and I realize that not everybody will be interested, but I just wanted to update those of you who are still interested in seeing what's going on in this story and I can assure you that A Toad and His Clown will not become a Mature rated fic, for those of you worried about that. OK thanks again to everybody who reads this story and has reviewed or just told other people about it.


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